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EUROPEAN LEGISLATION AND TECHNICAL TRANSLATION: MANUAL OF INSTRUCTIONS, OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS OR USER MANUAL?

One of the main difficulties of the technical translation is technical language and the necessity of  having the technical knowledge required to understand and translate the contents .  But, beyond this, there are more things that a technical translator must know to be able to correctly confront this type of documents, that are regulated by different European regulations. The European regulatory jungle Firstly, we have the Directive 2001/95/EC on general safety of products, which applies to all products with the exception of food, pharmaceutical products and medical devices, which have their own regulations.  This directive lays down that every product that may have risks for the user should include " relevant warnings, drafted in clear and easily understandable way, on the risks it may present, in the official languages of the Member State"  "in which is marketed ."  A safe product must include labeling, as well as Assembly instructions and, if ap